Private Sector Can Handle Security Inquiries

Published: July 10, 1996

To the Editor:

"Private Eyes and Government Files" (editorial, July 6) raises legitimate questions with regard to security at United States Investigations Services, the new employee-owned company that will carry out investigations previously conducted by the Office of Personnel Management.

We are concerned about questions of security and privacy. That is why we will continue to have staff that will oversee the work of United States Investigations. All information gathered will remain the property of the Government, and the Privacy Act will continue to apply. The company's employees, previously Government employees, and the investigations they conduct will continue to meet high standards set by O.P.M.

For years, agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, where lives can depend on secure data, have contracted with private-sector companies and individuals to conduct background investigations. The Defense Department uses private contractors to build top-secret missile systems and nuclear weapons. Given oversight, there is no reason that the private sector cannot be trusted with these and other important tasks.

The Clinton Administration has begun a historic downsizing of government. Already, more than 231,000 positions have been eliminated, most by voluntary separations and attrition and some by layoff.

Privatization is another option. After study, the Office of Personnel Management concluded that investigation functions could be privatized with no harm to the public interest. We consider this a creative and humane way to approach government downsizing. And the integrity of the information collected will in no way be compromised.

JAMES B. KING Dir., Office of Personnel Management Washington, July 9, 1996